Faction restriction on PvP servers lifted [Updated]

Sometimes, big content patches bring some odd quirks (otherwise known as bugs) along with all their goodies. There's a strange one that came along with Patch 3.2 that's recently been pointed out to us - apparently, players on PvP servers are able to create characters of the opposing faction on the same realm. If you play on Normal or RP servers, this wouldn't be anything special. However, PvP servers have always had a particular restriction that prevents players from having characters from both factions on the same realm.

Is this an intended change? It doesn't appear on any patch notes or blue post, so we're not so sure. A change of this magnitude usually merits a Blizzard announcement of some sort. In this case, expect realms to undergo some form of downtime in the near future to address the issue. So if you've ever had words you wanted to share with players of the opposite faction - some invectives or even forbidden love - heck, this is your time to do it. If you want to participate in some arbitrage ala PvE realms, that might be possible, too. Though don't look at me when Blizzard shuts everything down and all your Gold disappears in Steamwheedle limbo.

However, there's also a good chance this is an intended feature - after all, they did announce faction changes, right? Disabling the restriction will allow players to switch factions on PvP realms without any problems. Since Blizzard has broken down traditional barriers in the past - from realm transfers to PvE-to-PvP restrictions - this change isn't out of the realm of possibility. Stay tuned as we learn more!

UPDATE: It's been CONFIRMED. The change is intended! There is no longer a faction restriction on PvP realms in preparation for the faction change service, according to Eyonix over at the official forums.